At this past 2024 Sheep Show, the Wild Sheep Foundation welcomed the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe of Nevada and Shoshone & Arapaho Fish & Game Department of Wyoming as their newest Affiliates.

The wild sheep family continues to grow," said Gray N. Thornton, President and CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation. "We are thrilled to forge these two new strategic partnerships to benefit wild sheep. Both Tribes have been advocates and partners for wild sheep restoration, management, and recreational opportunities on their lands. Formalizing this union was long overdue."  

Established in 1977 over the concern for historically low populations of wild sheep, especially Rocky Mountain bighorn and desert bighorn sheep, WSF has grown to include eight WSF Chapters and thirty-nine Affiliates.
 
Pyramid Lake Paiute and Shoshone & Arapaho Fish & Game Department join the Navajo Nation Department of Fish & Wildlife (UT, AZ, NM) and Taos-Pueblo Department of Natural Resources (NM) as WSF Affiliates.

“In early 2020, with funding from the Wild Sheep Foundation, the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe was able to reintroduce California bighorn sheep to their native range on the reservation,” explained Emily Lamb, Environmental Specialist for the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe (PLPT). “This reintroduction has provided great benefit to the tribe from both cultural and ecological standpoints. As the tribe’s wildlife program continues to monitor the success of the sheep, partnerships with outside programs and agencies are vital in sharing best management practices and ensuring longevity for bighorns in the Lake Range. In joining the Wild Sheep Foundation as a tribal affiliate, the PLPT’s wildlife program hopes to strengthen our monitoring practices and build connections with other tribal bighorn sheep managers. Wildlife conservation and management truly takes a community, and PLPT is glad to have joined a community of wildlife professionals who care about the success of bighorn sheep as much as we do.”

Arthur Lawson, Director of Shoshone & Arapaho Fish and Game, said, “The Shoshone & Arapaho Fish and Game Department is excited to be affiliated with the Wild Sheep Foundation and to bring an indigenous perspective to the conservation and management of wild sheep.  The sovereign nations of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho take great pride in protecting and preserving wild sheep and their habitat. Our collective goals are to increase and improve wild sheep populations and habitat, to provide sound education, and to raise awareness within Tribal communities and on Tribal lands.” 

"Tribal wildlife agencies bring a unique cultural, historical, and ecological perspective to wild sheep management,” Thornton added. “Their connection to the sheep and the land on which they rely, as well as their sovereignty in wildlife management, make them uniquely suited to promote and be partners in wild sheep management into the future. We welcome all other tribes who currently have wild sheep on their lands or once did and want them to return."

The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF), based in Bozeman, Mont., was founded in 1977 by sportsmen and other wild sheep conservationists. WSF is the premier advocate for wild sheep, having raised and expended more than $145 million, positively impacting these species through population and habitat enhancements, research and education, and conservation advocacy programs in North America, Europe, and Asia "To Put and Keep Wild Sheep On the Mountain”. In North America, these and other efforts have increased bighorn sheep populations from historic lows in the 1950s-60s of 25,000 to more than 85,000 today. WSF has a membership of more than 11,000 worldwide. 

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